Australian Federalism: Developments and Prospects

Abstract

This article discusses the principal recent developments in, and future prospects for, constitutional change, judicial review, fiscal arrangements, local government, public policy, and intergovernmental relations since the 1977 Publius issue on Australian federalism, taking into account the arguments presented in the other contributions to this volume. It highlights the continuing vertical imbalance of Australian fiscal federalism, and the Hawke Labor government's recent initiativefor a closer working partnership with the statesfor reforming intergovernmental arrangements. It argues that while there is scope for the latter, there is greater need for the former. Nevertheless, the 1980s was significant as a decade of predominantly Labor governments working with the federal Constitution, while the 1990s promises to be a decade of celebrating the centenary of the Australian Constitution and working toward improving the functioning of its federal system.